Bidens hillebrandiana subsp. polycephala

Description:

Kookoolau or Seacliff beggarticksAsteraceae (Sunflower family)Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (found on coastal bluffs and sea cliffs on windward coasts of East Molokai and East Maui from sea level to over 325 feet.)Oahu (Cultivated)Flowerswww.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/5743354367/in/photolist-...Leaveswww.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/5743911284/in/photolist-...Early Hawaiians used the leaves in hot teas and tonics. Today, all species of kookoolau can be brewed as a tonic and each are said to have distinct flavors. Regarding Bidens spp., Isabella Abbott comments that "I find that the roughly half a dozen species common in Hawaii offer two or three slightly different flavors, each a bit more subtle than commercial black tea." ("Lau Hawaii: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants")EtymologyThe name Bidens is derived from the Latin bi, two, and dens, teeth in reference to the pappus awns or collective bristles on the achenes (fruit, seeds).The specific epithet hillebrandiana is named for William Hillebrand (1821-1886), a young Prussian physician and plant collector. He planted many of the plants he collected at Queen's Hospital and on his own property in Nuuanu. After moving back to Germany the property was sold to his neighbors Thomas & Mary Foster. Today, it is known as the Foster Botanical Gardens.The subspecific name polycephala is from the Greek poly, many, and cephalus, headed, referring to having many more floral heads when compared with subsp. hillebrandiana.nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Bidens_hillebrandiana_...